Rob Mackowiak

The Houston Astros will have tryouts for the starting rotation at Spring Training. Felipe Paulino and Fernando Nieve are both young arms that will be considered, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports. The Astros are tentatively counting on Roy Oswalt, Mike Hampton, Brandon Backe, Wandy Rodriguez and Brian Moehler to fill out their rotation.

The New York Mets have finalized deals with utilityman Rob Mackowiak, right-handed pitcher Kyle Snyder and left-hander Jon Switzer to minor-league deals. The three will be competing for 25-man roster spots at Spring Training, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Gonzales writes that the Brew Crew would use Mackowiak mainly as a backup at second and third, and may be offering Brady Clark. Clark doesn’t constitute an upgrade for the Sox, so the clubs would have to keep working to find a fit. GMs Doug Melvin and Kenny Williams pulled off a major deal in December of 2004 in the Carlos Lee/Scott Podsednik swap.

The Brewers have a fantastic long-term solution at third base in Ryan Braun, if he can only learn to play credible defense.

Two emailers just told me that Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting that the White Sox have dealt lefty reliever Damaso Marte for super-utility man Rob Mackowiak.

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For his career, the 30 year-old Marte is 14-14 with a 3.21 ERA in 303 innings. He’s been tough to hit and strikes out many, but walks have always been a problem. In 2005, Marte walked a ridiculous 6.55 batters per nine innings. This will be a return to Pittsburgh for the southpaw. He was dealt for Matt Guerrier back in 2002.

Mackowiak, a native of Oak Lawn, IL, can handle most of the infield positions and anywhere in the outfield. His career numbers are .258/.328/.414. He’s a useful part if kept in a utility role.